Static X
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: Things about Richie are coming to light in a glaring fashion as Charles Xavier decides it is time that Static and Gear join his school for the gifted. How will their lives change and what will they learn about their friendship and their powers they never new before?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Static Shock or X-Men

A/N: If Sean Foley is ooc in here I'm sorry I just wrote what I saw of him in the few episodes he appeared in. Written as if "Sons of the Fathers" never happened.

* * *

**Static X**

Richie rolled over in his bed, unable to sleep. The whole idea that he was a bang baby sat completely wrong with him, but the fear of what his dad would do if he found out was worse. Sure, Richie's father had never raised a hand to his son in anger, never abused Richie in a physical sense, but Richie always knew his father was disappointed in his son not liking sports as much as he thought he ought. Richie loved watching sports, he just didn't have much urge to participate. Then the sound of his mother yelling caught Richie off guard, Richie pulled the ends of his pillow up over his ears to block out the sound, he was too used to this. He sometimes thought his life might be better if his parents divorced. Sometime after that Richie managed to doze off but the sleep was fitful and didn't produce much in the way of rest.

* * *

Virgil arrived at school to see Richie already there, dark circles under the paler boy's eyes a testament to his lack of rest.

"Bro, did you not sleep at all last night?" Virgil asked

"I slept... just not well" Richie confessed, he had always felt he could be honest with Virgil, whom he had begun to see like an actual brother, closer to him than most of his actual family.

"Hey, if you need to talk..." Virgil put a hand on Richie's shoulder as Richie started to walk away

"I know" Richie sighed.

* * *

Meanwhile Charles Xavier was checking cerebro when he located Virgil and Richie. He knew Virgil had control of his gifts to an extent, but he felt Virgil could be helped to get even better with his gifts. It was Richie that had him concerned, from the brief scan of Richie's mind Charles had found that Richie's home life was turbulent and his parents didn't get along.

Charles called Scott Summers and Jean Grey and had them meet him in the Blackbird along with Yessenia Esquivel and Li-Na Kim, a couple of mutants closer to Virgil and Richie's age. They arrived in Dakota and went to the Freeman Community Center where they met with Richard Hawkins.

"Mr. Hawkins I'm here to speak with you about your son Virgil"

"Mr. Xavier in all honesty I don't understand why you would want to speak of Virgil" Richard said playing down the fact that he knew of Virgil's gift

"You know exactly why I'm here, Virgil has a gift, the ability to create and use electromagnetic energy" Charles said "but he is the only young person you know so well that is gifted, his best friend Richie, he is gifted as well, with the ability to absorb and retain extreme amounts of knowledge. He is also what is known as technopathic meaning his mind can control and communicate with technology in ways even I do not understand fully."

Richard was stunned

"Why bring this to me, why not go to Mr. Foley with this"

"You know as well as I do why I do not go to Sean Foley with this information about his son, Richie is afraid, afraid that if his father learns of this gift he will be shunned" Charles said "you on the other hand, you understand Richie for who he really is, you know Richie better than Sean ever will"

"Yes, but on the same token I can't sign off on anything for Richie, you would have to go to Sean or Maggie for that" Richard pointed out

Charles sighed

"Indeed, I would" Charles hated this, he didn't want to out Richie to Sean, this would push Richie away from him, thus coming to the Community center to speak with Richie without his father present to hear what was said.

Richard sat back and looked at the group that had come in, he had been introduced to Scott and Jean, but the two girls who were in the basketball court area were a mystery to him. They had an mp3 player out dancing along dancing side by side like only best friends would.

"Oh, you've noticed Yessenia and Li-Na, they are some of my younger students, about the same age as Virgil and Richie" Charles said as they went into the basketball court area.

"Hi professor" Yessenia said as they both ran up to him "you must be Mr. Hawkins"

Both girls shook Richard's hand politely then started out

"Where are they going?"

"They are going to talk to Virgil and Richie, privately of course, about the school, about the offer to attend classes at the Xavier Institute for the Gifted."

* * *

The girls arrived and soon located Virgil and Richie, but separately, Yessenia had found Virgil and Cascade had found Richie.

"Hey, you think we could talk for a minute?"

"Sure, I'm free this period" Virgil said

"Um yeah, we might want to duck out of sight and ear-shot this has to do with something I'm sure you'd rather keep secret" she whispered coming closer to him

Virgil could feel the weird energy from her and looked at her in confusion

"What ever it is we can talk right here"

"Um... unless you want to out your identity I really wouldn't recommend we talk here" she whispered where only he heard

"Okay"

They ducked into an empty classroom

"Okay now explain how you know what I am?"

"Chill... I'm a mutant too, or I believe you prefer the term meta-human" Yessenia said causing a few paperclips to fly around in a circle "I go to this school, it's called the Xavier Institute, it's pretty sweet"

"And you want me to come?"

"Yeah, the offer's open, no pressure though, you don't have to come if you don't want to and you can always transfer back here to Dakota Union High if you don't like it, but I think you will. You'll be staying in this super cool old mansion for the school term, me I live there year round, but that's beside the point." Yessenia said "Just think about it, no more secrets, you go around with others with gifts that aren't trying to kill you"

"What about Richie"

"Offer's up for him to, my friend Li-Na is talking to him now" Yessenia said she then pulled a communicator out of her pocket and handed it to him "Remember no pressure, but if you want, the doors are open for you"

"Okay... but why do you live there year round?" Virgil asked

Yessenia's expression dropped and Virgil instantly regretted asking

"I have nowhere else to go, Virgil, I was orphaned when I was seven. Professor Xavier took me in as a foster child two years ago when my powers kicked in."

"You were in the big bang?"

"No, natural meta-human... meaning I was born with the genetic anomaly... it just didn't activate until I was fifteen." Yessenia explained

"Oh" Virgil sighed "sorry 'bout your folks"

"Don't be, you weren't the drunk in that other car"

Virgil winced and watched as Yessenia wiped her tears away

"Look, I shouldn't have asked"

"No, you were just curious" she said

"Listen I feel for you, what you've had to go through"

Yessenia was shocked when she found herself in his arms she didn't push him away, not now. She just hugged him back, he was trying to help.

"I know what it's like to lose a parent" he said

"Yeah maybe you do but I lost two, and I have a brother I haven't seen since he was two"

"Hey, it's okay, you've got a lot going for you now... things will get better" Virgil said trying to sound half as confident as he was.

Yessenia leaned into him and began to cry, she hadn't meant to fall apart in front of Virgil this way, she hated doing this, she had done so much crying in her life. He just soothed her and let her cry, it was a surprise to her, but for him working in the Community center meant he saw kids like her a lot who just needed a shoulder to cry on.

* * *

Meanwhile Li-Na and Richie were in another classroom talking as well

"I know you're afraid to tell your parents about your gifts... of how your father will react"

"Yeah, my dad doesn't like meta-humans too much" Richie sighed

"You aren't like Virgil, you aren't a bang baby"

"What... but that throws our whole theory off... if I'm not a bang baby how did I get powers?"

"You are a natural meta-human like Polaris and myself... even if the big bang hadn't occurred you would have still gotten powers" she said

"So I wasn't a bang baby after all, I knew that whole late boomer thing didn't make sense... it's been too long"

"Exactly your powers had nothing to do with the vapor Virgil inhaled no matter how much of it remained on his clothing" she said

* * *

After school Richie and Virgil went to the Community center and Richard noticed the dark circles under Richie's eyes.

"Third time this month, Richie, have you said anything to your parents about this insomnia?"

Richie shook his head

"You know where to go" Richard said

"Yes, Mr. H" Richie said and excused himself

Charles watched this

"Where is he going?"

"There's an empty store room off the office, I set up a cot for him in there and he takes naps there sometimes when he doesn't sleep at night"

"Have you gone to Sean about his son's sleep problems"

"I wasn't going to betray Richie that way... he confides too much in me, if I betray him now... I may lose his confidence forever. Charles, you know if I could I'd take him into my home, take him away from his parents. He'd do a heck of a lot better there, but I can't do that... they haven't proven themselves unfit to parent him. It's hard to see him this way"

"The environment is toxic for Richie, his self esteem is low. I think he would flourish in your care, but we cannot take him away from his parents without alienating him, unless he comes to my school" Charles sighed "I... I wish there was a way I could put him in your custody, God, how that boy could shine given the kind of encouragement he'd get in your care. You love him like your own son let him know it's safe to come to you about anything. It's more than he can say about his own father"

A couple of hours later Sean Foley arrived at the Freeman Community Center looking for Richie.

"Sean, Richie is asleep, he didn't sleep very well last night" Richard said

"He should be at home if he needs sleep"

"Mr. Foley have you ever thought that maybe home has become a place Richie doesn't want to be" a voice asked

Sean turned to see Charles sitting behind him, and unbeknown to them Richie was watching from the room he'd been sleeping in praying they wouldn't tell his father his secret.

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Look at yourself for a moment, look at the way you treat your son and your wife and ask yourself, if you were a child with that going on, would you want to be anywhere near it?" Charles asked

Sean growled and went into the room where Richie had been sleeping to see his son at the door.

"Dad... I... I didn't do anything, I promise"

This was the first time in Richie's life Sean Foley hit him

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Richard Hawkins heard the hit and ran into the room along with Virgil who ran to Richie's side as the blond tried to adjust his loosed jaw. Richard knew Sean Foley was a strong man and this seemed uncalled for. Never in his worst fit of rage would he have ever dreamed of taking a hand to Virgil the way Sean just did Richie. Richard had known for months that Sean was a bully from Richie confiding things to him, but Richard had never dreamed he would see the day this occurred.

"Richie, look at me" Virgil said

Richie did and Virgil gasped at the sight of Richie's busted lip and bruising face, he had taken that hit practically to the mouth. It took everything Virgil had not to power up then and there and give Sean Foley a piece of his mind. Richie was practically his brother and Virgil couldn't stand that his brother had come to harm.

"Sean why... why would you hit your own son..." Richard asked completely flabbergasted by the mere idea that this could happen

"This meta freak is not my son" Sean replied and turned to walk away, but Scott Summers got in his way

"I can't let you leave Sean, I have to call the police" Richard said

"Jean already did" Charles said calmly

Officers arrived and thanks to security footage and testimony from Richard Hawkins, and Charles Xavier were able to arrest Sean for assault. There was also word that other charges of abuse were coming forward.

Meanwhile Virgil had gotten the first aid kit and was tending to Richie's split lip

"We need to get pictures and have him checked by paramedics, that hit could have done more damage than we see." one officer said as she stopped Virgil

"Okay" he sighed, this was not what he had expected, far from it

"Bro... why didn't you tell me how bad things were?" Virgil asked as he guided Richie to a chair

"I... I didn't know, man, honest" Richie replied looking away, he felt bad about what his mother went through and how he had been blind to it.

"Rich, there's a reason you didn't know, you mom, she was probably trying to protect you from the truth" Virgil said putting a hand on his best friend's shoulder

"I hate him" Richie muttered

"Wow, Richie, don't you think that's a little harsh. Hate's a really strong word bro!"

"No, V, don't try to talk me out of this, after what he did, I hate him!"

Medics came in and looked Richie over. The police then took pictures of the forming bruise on Richie's face. It would probably look pretty ugly for a while but he'd be fine.

Maggie Foley arrived a few minutes after Sean was hauled away and was horrified by the look of her son.

"Richie, what happened?" she asked

"My father" Richie spat then turned to his mother "how could you stay with him so long, mom?"

Maggie didn't have an answer for her son, she had often asked herself the same question, why hadn't she packed herself and Richie up and moved years earlier, maybe now her son would confide more in her.

"Why didn't I know all that was going on, mom?"

"Because I knew you'd try to stand up to your father, Richie and I couldn't stand the thought that you might get hurt. Think about it Richie, you're intelligent but you aren't a fighter, never were."

She was right, but she had no idea the truth of his life, how he had changed

"Richie I know... I know of your gift, you are a meta human, as is Virgil" she said "I also know of the wonderful things you've created as Gear"

"How?" Richie asked

"You think I didn't notice that Gear happened to look and sound a lot like my Richie, I didn't notice when your grades suddenly shoot through the roof" Maggie smiled "Meta human or not, you're my son and I'm proud of you"

Richie hugged his mother who returned the embrace

"Things are going to be hard for a while, I'm going to have to go back to work to support us"

"Mrs. Foley, I'm willing to extend your son a full scholarship to attend the Xavier Institute" Charles said "there he would learn to harness his gift even further surrounded by other meta-human teenagers these two are alumni of my school, the younger two, the ones that approached your son and Virgil at Dakota Union High School today are current students. Li-Na Kim and Yessenia Esquivel"

"I'm Scott Summers"

"Jean Grey"

Yessenia and Li-Na entered the office at the mention of their names. Yessenia going up to introduce herself to Richie and his mother and inspect Richie's busted lip and bruised face.

"I don't expect a decision right away Mrs. Foley, you and your son talk about this, it's a big decision to make this change. He would stay at the school during the school term and come home during holidays and summer vacation."

"What of his friendship with Virgil" Maggie asked

"Virgil has also been invited to come, as he too has a special gift" Charles said "I was thinking if they both came they might like sharing a bedroom as roommates" Charles didn't mention that a lot of the roommates idea came from his trying to make moving easier on them and lessen any possible homesickness that would inevitably set in.

Virgil and Richie made eye-contact the thought of them being roommates only sweetened the deal.

"Score bro!" Richie laughed

"You said it" Virgil replied

"Question, where is this school located?" Richard asked

"Westchester, New York" Charles said

Richie and Virgil looked shocked, that would mean leaving Dakota all together.

"Relax boys, it seems Dakota's mutant issues have been resolved" Charles said "and, as I'm sure my girls told you, there is always the option of leaving if you find you don't like it there, I'll even fund you returning home"

"I'm willing, what about you Virgil?" Richie said

"Yeah, I'm in" Virgil replied "what is there to lose?"

Charles looked between Richard and Maggie

"They like the idea, what do you say?" he asked them

Maggie looked at Richard

"I think a change of environment would be good for Richie"

"May be go for Virgil too, I' say go for it"

"Me too" Maggie said

"Okay then, boys go pack your things and meet me back here I will make the necessary arrangements and then we will be on our way" Charles said with a smile

Virgil and Richie went to their homes and started to pack their clothing for the move. Then they both realized they forgot to ask should they bring their gear. Virgil called the community center

"Hey dad, could you ask Professor X if I should bring my costume?"

"He says bring it" Richard replied "Call Gear and tell him to bring his as well along with examples of his inventions"

"Will do, pops, and pops... I'm going to miss you"

"I know Virgil, I'll miss you too"

"So who's telling Sharon I'm leaving she doesn't even know I'm a bang baby"

"I'll tell your sister what's going on" Richard said

"Okay, thanks pops"

"No problem"

Virgil got off the phone with his dad and called Richie and told him what Charles said

"Um V, I hate to ask but I'm going to need help packing if I'm going to keep with the medic's orders of keeping this cold pack on my face"

"Hey, I'll be right there to help you out"

"Thanks"

"No prob, I'll be there soon... peace"

"and out"

Virgil arrived at Richie's house and sighed, he had only been here once and Sean had made that experience memorable in a very bad way.

"Richie"

"In here V" Richie replied

They got Richie's things together

"Um we should head to the gas station and get the gear from there since we aren't going to be around to monitor it"

"True"

They went to their headquarters and gathered their gear from their, they'd leave it set up as a base of operations for when they weren't at school, but Virgil and Richie didn't think it was prudent to leave some of Richie's more experimental inventions where anyone could get them. They also took the blueprints of his inventions to keep them from being replicated by someone.

* * *

Charles had the boys pulled from Dakota Union High School stating they were accepted into a private school for gifted youth in New York state.

"This is the second special school that has shown interest in Virgil Hawkins but surprisingly the first to also take interest in Richie Foley"

"Both boys have a lot of potential, and I believe my school could be the best place for them"

"As long as you're taking Richie away from that toxic place he calls home, I'd say you're doing him a favor" a teacher that was sitting in the office at the time said

"So you were aware of his home environment?"

"I had some idea what his father was like, I had nothing I could take to children's protective services. Trust me, if I had he wouldn't have stayed in that house"

"I don't doubt that you would Dr. Oliver" Charles said "But unfortunately none of us saw what happened at the Freeman community center coming. Today things between Richie and his father came to blows for the first, and hopefully only time."

Dr. Oliver looked flabbergasted as did the principal.

"They fought?"

"Not so much fought as Sean hit Richie, Richie didn't get the chance to retaliate Richard and Virgil Hawkins stepped in on Richie's behalf before he could."

* * *

They all regrouped at the community center where Virgil and Richie started saying goodbyes to their families.

Then they were on their way to the blackbird to leave Dakota for Westchester and a new school experience.

To be Continued...


End file.
